What are you putting your trust in?
The foundational truth of biblical soteriology (the study of salvation) is that the benefits of Jesus Christ’s blood cannot be separated from the Person of Jesus Christ. The blood is not a mystical, independent substance distributed apart from the Son; rather, its saving, justifying, and reconciling power is inextricably localized in Him. Because God the Father has ordained that “in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18), the believer does not merely receive a transaction; the believer receives a Person.
1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
1 John 5:12
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
When you receive the Object of our faith—Jesus Christ—you are placed into Him, automatically conferring all the historical and eternal benefits of His shed blood. Here is a deeper expansion of this doctrinal reality based on the passages provided:
1. The Treasury of Redemption (Romans 3:24-25 & Ephesians 1:7)
Notice the exact prepositional framework the Apostle Paul uses: “redemption that is IN Christ Jesus” and “IN whom we have redemption through his blood.” The Concept: If the blood is the currency that paid our sin debt, Jesus Christ is the treasury in which that currency is kept. You cannot access the payment without entering the vault. God set forth Christ Himself to be the propitiation (the satisfying sacrifice). Therefore, faith is not placed in the abstract concept of atonement, but “through faith in his blood” as it is united to His Person.
2. The Mechanism of Justification and Reconciliation (Romans 5:9-11 & Ephesians 2:13)
Paul states we are “justified by his blood,” but notice the relational reality that immediately follows: “saved from wrath THROUGH HIM.” * The Concept: Before salvation, we were “far off” and “enemies.” The blood of Christ is the price of peace, but “in Christ Jesus” is the location of our peace. We do not just receive forgiveness; we “joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” The atonement is applied to the believer precisely because the believer has been spiritually baptized (immersed/placed) into Christ. Because we are in Him, His righteous status before the Father becomes our status.
3. The Preeminence and Fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 1:19-29)
In Colossians, Paul defends the absolute supremacy and preeminence of Jesus Christ. It pleased the Father that “in him should all fulness dwell.” * The Concept: Colossians 1:20 states that God made “peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.” The blood is the means, but the Son is the Mediator. Because all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Jesus, receiving Him means you lack nothing. You do not need Christ plus a secondary ritual, work, or mediator. To have the Son is to have the blood, the peace, the forgiveness, and the redemption.
The Apologetic Conclusion: The Object of Our Faith
Understanding that the blood’s benefits are exclusively in Christ protects the believer against false worldviews and dead religious systems. Religion treats salvation as a commodity, a ticket to heaven stamped with blood that you earn through sacraments or good works.
Biblical Christianity, however, defines salvation relationally and positionally. The Gospel is the ultimate package deal: God gives us His Son. By trusting Jesus Christ as the sole Object of your faith, you are placed “in Christ.” Because Christ shed His blood, and you are now in Him, the life, cleansing, and atoning power of that blood covers you completely. Christ maintains the preeminence because He is not just the giver of salvation; He is our salvation.
Romans 10:3-4
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”